Saturday, February 28, 2015

i'm not sure how, but enough time has passed that you are now four years old. FOUR. in a blink of an eye, you have grown from a sweet little baby to one spit-fire of a little lady. you are funny, witty, sweet and sassy, not to mention your memory is absolutely unbelievable. you call mommy and daddy on everything we do that you know is against the rules. you remember so many things that little white lies are pretty much non-existent in this household. you definitely keep us on our toes but have the ability to melt our hearts. once you realize how to harness that, we're all in trouble!

you love all things pink, sparkly and princess. your elsa skirt is an every day accessory and it is the ultimate neutral in your wardrobe. goes with ev. er. y. thing. (well according to you at least!) you and your brother have definitely entered into the sibling rivalry stage and it drives me bonkers. bff one minute, the next minute y'all are one second away from an all out bar brawl. overall though, you guys really enjoy each other's company and have so much fun together. i love watching you be his big sister and you are always so happy to help him which i have really grown to appreciate!

you are so smart. obviously i am biased (and have no point of reference in regard to the intelligence of a four year old), but the questions you ask really make me think. your questions are rarely like "why is the sky blue?" or "why is the grass green"? but more along the lines of "why is the earth different than the moon?" or "what is the earth made of and why can't we see that it is round?" i mean GOODNESS. you are a thinker like your daddy. i'm praying you get his analytical genes and my language skills.

not only are you smart, but girl, you are FUNNY. one of my absolute favorite things on the planet is listening to the conversations you have with your friends, especially olivia. carpool is definitely one of my favorite events of our week.

sister, your heart. your sweet, precious, Jesus-loving heart. the fruit of pouring The Gospel into you since birth is really starting to come forth. you are learning what it really means to be kind and that we are to treat everyone with respect because God created them. your words are sweet and the rule at our house of "we don't say things that don't make people feel good about themselves" is something i am so thankful is being engrained in your sweet little soul. we are starting to work through what it looks like when we make mistakes and what offering true and unconditional love means. when mommy totally blows it and i ask for forgiveness, you are so gracious. you pour out love from your sweet little heart and i pray that you never lose that tenderness. Jesus' forgiveness is unending and i truly pray that throughout your whole life you never forget that we are to forgive mistakes because we are forgiven and our transgressions have been paid for.

this next year of your life is a big one. it's your last year at home full time (pretty much) and i have a plethora of emotions. starting full day pre-school and turning five are so exciting for you, yet i have a deep sense of sadness. i am so happy to watch you grow and your excitement usually outweighs the bitterness of you growing up, but these milestones have come much too quickly. i blinked. i'm afraid if i blink again we'll be packing up your things and moving you to norman. (and yes, that is the only place we will be moving you to attend college.)

from the beginning, you have been such a perfect blessing to your father and i. by the grace of God we are doing everything in our ability to steward this precious gift we have been given. we will always be here, always be together and will always point you and your brother to Jesus. there is nothing on this earth that could diminish the deep, deep love we have for you. we love you more than the stars in the sky or the hairs on your head, and that pales in comparison to the love Jesus has for you, sweet girl. His love is vast as the ocean. dive in.

put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.